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Coach Ron Rivera said Jonathan Stewart's weekly carry count will depend on how he is running.

With DeAngelo Williams finally gone, Stewart enters the season as the undisputed feature back for the first time in his eight-year career. He's healthy and coming off an impressive end to 2014. Expect a minimum of 220-240 carries with upside for more. "Honestly it's going to come down to how you are doing," Rivera said. "If you are running the ball well, obviously you are going to feed him." Jun 9 - 9:00 AM

Coach Ron Rivera said at the NFL owners' meetings that the Panthers would like to limit Jonathan Stewart to around 15 carries a game in 2015.

It makes sense based on Stewart's injury history. Rivera insisted Carolina wants to maintain a two-back system with Stewart handling 15 runs a game and the No. 2 runner handling 8-10. "Running back has definitely been proven that you’ve got to have a good two-back tandem," said Rivera. "And that’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking for that complement to Jonathan." The Panthers have been linked to Todd Gurley and Tevin Coleman during the pre-draft phrase. Mar 28 - 9:19 AM

Jonathan Stewart played 46.4 percent of snaps in 2014, easily the most of any Panthers running back.

That percentage improved to 68.6 over Carolina's last six games. The Panthers went 5-1 during that stretch with J-Stew averaging a robust 99 rushing yards per contest. Stewart was a bright spot in an otherwise ordinary Panthers offense and seemed to get better as the season went on. Assuming the Panthers cut ties with DeAngelo Williams, Stewart should be close to an every down back in 2015. Feb 13 - 3:49 PM

ESPN Panthers reporter David Newton says there's a "strong possibility" DeAngelo Williams will be released this offseason.

It should be a no-brainer for the Panthers to move on from the ineffective Williams and save $2M against the cap by making him a post-June 1 cut. Especially considering they've dedicated $8.3M of their cap on Jonathan Stewart, who found his elite early-career-form in 2014 and needs to push for 20 touches per game next season. Stewart averaged a gaudy 4.62 YPC in 2014, ranked 11th among running backs in yards after contact per attempt and graded out 2nd in PFF's Elusive Rating (behind only Marshawn Lynch). Jan 20 - 10:40 AM

Williams underwent a minor procedure in June and is expected back for the second week of camp. It's a note for preseason DFS players to file away. Williams, a former college basketball player and athletic freak, logged a heavy 58 snaps in last year's exhibition opener and produced 3-50-1. Be sure he's healthy before using him this year.